Today show host Lisa Wilkinson, tennis great Lleyton Hewitt and seven-time ARIA award winner Tina Arena are among those to receive Australia Day honours this year.

The popular Australians are among the 604 winners who have been awarded the Order of Australia for their contributions and service in their respective fields.

Tennis great Rod Laver and former South Australian premier Mike Rann were acknowledged with a Companion of the Order of Australia - the leading awards category that recognises eminent achievement and merit of the highest degree in service to Australia.

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Lisa Wilkinson, a journalist and Channel Nine presenter, has been appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for her service to the print and broadcast media and a range of youth and women's health groups

Lisa Wilkinson

Wilkinson, a journalist and Channel Nine presenter, has been appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for her service to the print and broadcast media and a range of youth and women's health groups.

At just 21, she became Dolly editor, making her the youngest ever editor of a national magazine.

Soon after, late media mogul Kerry Packer headhunted her to edit Cleo, which became the top selling women's lifestyle magazine per capita in the world under her watch.

She then switched to television where she has co-hosted The Today Show for more than eight years with Karl Stefanovic.

Lisa became Dolly editor at just 21. She went on to edit Cleo and then switched to television where she has co-hosted The Today Show for more than eight years

Wilkinson has co-hosted The Today Show on Channel Nine for more than eight years with Karl Stefanovic

The mother of three credits her success to being in the right place at the right time and having others believe in her. Youthful naivety also played a part.

'Sometimes you can know too much and be formulaic in the way you do things,' she said. 'And in a couple of instances being thrust into jobs where I got there so quickly, nobody had actually taught me any of the rules.

'So I wrote a few of my own and probably broke plenty. There's nothing quite like youth to allow you the freedom to do that.'

Wilkinson has been involved in charities focused on children, youth and women, because 'if you're in a position where you can help, you just do it', a notion instilled by her late father.

Lleyton Hewitt rose from a humble background to become men's tennis's youngest-ever world No.1, but he is equally proud to be remembered as the people's champion

Lleyton Hewitt

He rose from a humble background to become the youngest-ever world No.1 tennis player, but Lleyton Hewitt is equally proud to be remembered as a people's champion.

It's a legacy assured now after Hewitt's recognition in the Australia Day honours as a Member of the Order of Australia.

'I've also been so lucky that wherever I've played around the world, there's always been an Australian in the crowd.

'It's been fantastic to have that support.'

Hewitt's accolade caps a memorable week for the 34-year-old, who received a rapturous send-off after ending his playing career with an emotion-charged 20th Australian Open tilt at Melbourne Park.

He never quite managed to win a grand slam in his beloved home but retired with an enviable CV featuring the 2001 US Open title, the 2002 Wimbledon crown, 80 weeks as world No.1 and two Davis Cup trophies.

The one-time Young Australian of the Year also appeared at three Olympic Games, in Sydney, Beijing and London.

Hewitt's accolade caps a memorable week for the 34-year-old, who received a rapturous send-off after ending his playing career with an emotion-charged 20th Australian Open tilt at Melbourne Park

Singer Tina Arena said she was thrilled to receive her Australia Day honour, particularly as an advocate for her home country from which she launched an international career in music

Tina Arena

Singer Tina Arena was thrilled to receive her Australia Day honour for her international music career.

She was given the award in recognition of her significant service as a singer, songwriter, and recording artist, and as a supporter of charitable groups.

Having released her eleventh album last year, Eleven, Arena chose to return to her home country after almost 20 years living in Europe, mostly in Paris.

'I'm thrilled, this recognition is really lovely. I first started travelling and working abroad 30 years ago, and I've always been asked about Australia in interviews in foreign countries, and I'm such an advocate,' she said.

'We live in an amazing country, Australia is rich with opportunities and as cliche as it sounds anything is possible.

Tina Arena, rocketed to fame at age eight on the TV show Young Talent Time, has become a multiple ARIA award winner and was recently inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame

The singer, who was born to Italian parents in Australia, is one of the country's highest selling artists, with more than eight million album sales. She rocketed to fame at age eight on the TV show Young Talent Time, on which she performed for almost seven years before forging a solo career, releasing her first album in 1977.

In 1994, Arena released the album Don't Ask which became a global hit thanks to her massive hit single Chains.

Since then Arena has opened the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, performed the national anthem in Paris when Cadel Evans won the Tour de France, become a multiple ARIA award winner and was recently inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame.

In 2009, Arena became the first Australian to be honoured with a French Knighthood of the Order of National Merit, presented by then French president Nicolas Sarkozy.

'Who would have thought an Australian-born girl from immigrant working-class parents would end up here, I'm very fortunate to call Australia my home and so proud to be playing a small role in promoting our country to the world,' Arena said.

He's played rugby league at the highest level but former Queensland MP Mick Veivers says being recognised on Australia Day for his service to sport and the public service is the ultimate honour

Mick Veivers

He's played rugby league at the highest level but former Queensland MP Mick Veivers says being recognised on Australia Day for his service to sport and the public service is the ultimate honour.

Mr Veivers, now aged 75, began playing rugby league with Souths Magpies in Brisbane, a club that produced the likes of Mal Meninga, in the late 1950s.

In a decorated career he went on to play for Australia in six test matches.

He became the first player to represent Queensland and NSW in consecutive years after moving to Sydney to link with Manly-Warringah, where he played from 1965-67.

After hanging up his boots he embarked on a 14-year career as a commentator with Sportscene on Brisbane's Channel 7.

His passion for agriculture saw him make a transition to politics with the National Party.

He was member for Southport for 14 years, and also served as the Minister for Emergency Services and Sport from 1996-98.

Living on the Gold Coast, Mr Veivers continues to pour time and energy into his community and helped found the Gold Coast Academy of Sport.

Rod Laver spends most of his time at home in California these days but the tennis great has been in Australia to watch the Australian Open at the Melbourne arena that bears his name

Rod Laver

Rod Laver spends most of his time at home in California these days but the tennis great has been in Australia to watch the Australian Open at the Melbourne arena that bears his name.

It's appropriate that, even when living overseas, Laver's name looms large over tennis in Australia.

'Rocket' Rod is arguably Australia's greatest-ever player, a title earned by his status as the only player to win two calendar Grand Slams, his record of 200 singles titles - the most in tennis history - and his membership of five Davis Cup-winning teams.

Now the left-hander from Queensland can add another award to one of the nation's most overloaded trophy cabinets: Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) for his service to tennis as a player, representative and mentor.

It follows accolades including induction into the Australian and international tennis halls of fame and an MBE from the Queen in 1970.

Laver, now 77, said he won't get on the court on this visit, unlike his 2014 charity match 'warm-up' hit with Roger Federer but he was paying close attention to the action at the Open, including watching Leyton Hewitt's final singles match last Thursday.

He rates Hewitt as 'a great champion' and is excited about the current crop of young talent, such as Nick Kyrgios, now emerging.

Mike Rann was Labor leader in SA for 17 years and spent almost a decade as premier before being forced to stand down in 2011 after losing key factional support

Mike Rann

If it's true, as Mike Rann says, that Australian politics is a blood sport, few rolled with the punches like the former South Australian premier.

Mr Rann was Labor leader in SA for 17 years and spent almost a decade as premier before being forced to stand down in 2011 after losing key factional support.

His electoral success - lifting Labor from just 10 seats when he became leader in 1994 to a peak of 28 in 2006 - was undeniable.

And while the state's economic struggles have clouded his fiscal legacy, Mr Rann says major projects like the revitalised Adelaide Oval have improved SA's global standing.

'As a government we didn't shy from making tough and controversial decisions,' he said.

'We didn't want to be a do-nothing government. We were elected to lead, not wring our hands.'

The former premier has been appointed Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) for eminent service to the parliament and community of SA.

Mr Rann's post-retirement career has been largely focused overseas, landing plum postings as Australia's high commissioner to the UK and more recently as ambassador to Italy.

He has since been appointed a visiting professor at the prestigious King's College in London and launched his own consultancy group, with prospective clients to include renewable energy companies.